Tag Archives: California

Weekly Recap: Style Week OC 2014

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Who needs NYFW when you have Style Week OC? Every year in September Orange County has fashion shows at Fashion Island and Irvine Spectrum Center showcasing the latest fall fashions and FIDM designers. These last two weekends I have been working backstage, experiencing the craziness, and getting super excited for fall!

Last week the first two shows were at Fashion Island. There were in-store events for the participating brands in the fashion show earlier, and then on Saturday night FIDM had their benefit show.

Style Week OC 2014 at Fashion Island Runway Style Week OC 2014 Staff PassModels Backstage at Style Week OC 2014 LA Model Korreen Backstage at Style Week OC 2014

The first show at the Spectrum featured different brands from around the shopping center. During the second show Saturday night, Nick Verreos from Project Runway and Under the Gunn showed off his new Nikolaki collection and four FIDM designers were featured in the Celebrity Cruises design competition.

Irvine Spectrum Center Ferris Wheel at Style Week OC 2014 Fall Fashion Looks Backstage at Style Week OC 2014 LA Model Michelle Backstage at Style Week OC 2014 Ciera Chang Working Backstage at Fall Fashion Looks Backstage at Style Week OC 2014 LA Models Backstage in Nikolaki Collection Gowns at Style Week OC 2014 LA Model Amanda Fields Bennett Backstage at Style Week OC 2014 Nick Verreos and Model Backstage at Style Week OC 2014 LA Models Ivana, Bianca, and Amanda Backstage at Style Week OC 2014Ciera Chang at Style Week OC 2014 View from Backstage of Irvine Spectrum Style Week OC 2014 Show Night View of Irvine Spectrum Center Ferris Wheel and Stage at Style Week OC 2014

Did you attend Style Week OC? What were your favorite looks for fall? (P.S. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram where you can find even more behind the scenes fun!)

xx, Ciera

Railroads, Ziplining, + Birthday Cake

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We saved the best activities for last on our final day of our family vacation in Yosemite. Our day began with a ride on the Sugar Pine Railroad.

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{ Volcom tank | Aero jeans | Black Toms | Yosemite snapback }

DSC_0676Next up was the Tenaya Lodge for lunch. I ordered a veggie wrap with hummus, tomato, avocado, lettuce, alfalfa, and cheese, with a strawberry salad. 
 DSC_0848 DSC_0696Our final family adventure was my favorite of the trip- ziplining! No one except my sister had ever been before, so it was a fun new experience that helped us all to trust each other and take a leap of faith.DSC_0727DSC_0722After the first two zips, we had to cross a bridge over 500 ft in the air. Thankfully, I made it across in one piece 🙂DSC_0739DSC_0752DSC_0795The fourth zip across led to a huge tree known as the “Grandpa Tree” because of its sweet smelling sap.DSC_0832Finally, the course ended with a freefall repel down the top of the tree. It definitely gave me some flashbacks of repelling down the mountain with Nicole in Australia!DSC_0853DSC_0856DSC_0859

This is the second year in a row that for my dad’s birthday we have been on vacation. If you have been following my posts, you know that we celebrated his 50th this year and wanted to do something special. We ate a cute little Italian restaurant called DiCicco’s, sharing our pizza and pasta family style. Then my sister and I decided to surprise my dad with a happy birthday song from the waiters and a piece of celebratory chocolate cake… He was so surprised! It was a great ending to another great family vacation.

xx, Ciera

 

Yosemite Waterfalls

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When most people think of Yosemite they either picture snow falling in the winter or waterfalls in the summer heat. Unfortunately, many of the waterfalls were dry this late in the summer season, but luckily we were about to visit two that still had some water running through them. The first one we visited was known as Lower Yosemite Falls. On our way there, my family enjoyed the green scenery and even saw a pair of deer!

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{ Arm the Animals tank | Target sports bra | Aero shorts | Hollister shorts | Nike sneakers | Charlotte Russe sunnies }

DSC_0535DSC_0548DSC_0557DSC_0514DSC_0516 The Ahwahnee hotel did not disappoint for lunch- My dad and I split a veggie burger and potato wedges.

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Our next challenge was Vernal Falls… now, 0.8 miles may not seem like a lot, but the hike was SO STEEP that it took over an hour just to get up there! Since my family and I are all basically novice hikers and had already been on a few hikes, we decided not to go all the way to the top- but the view from the bottom was still pretty great!DSC_0526DSC_0529DSC_0531DSC_0565Capturing some more photos on my phone of the gorgeous landscape!
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After the long hike, my sister and I decided to cool off below where the waterfall turned into a cool stream surrounded by rocks. The water felt amazing! DSC_0593DSC_0596DSC_0612

Lastly, we stopped along the road on the way back to Fish Camp to take some more shots of the gorgeous mountains. The hiking, waterfalls, great food, wildlife, and family memories all made this another fantastic day in Yosemite!

xx, Ciera

 

Wawona and Stream Swimming

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The second day in Yosemite we stopped at Wawona and hiked a two hour trail that looped around the hotel. The trail was totally deserted. We only saw a group horseback riding once right as we began, then we had the whole hike to ourselves. It was so quiet and relaxing to walk through the trees and hear nothing but the birds singing and squirrels running around.

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{ Zara tank | Aero shorts | New Balance sneakers | Target denim shirt | Target bikini | Charlotte Russe sunnies }

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After hiking, we arrived back to the hotel just in time for a delicious lunch. I ordered a vegetarian panini and a side of fruit.
DSC_0187 DSC_0304DSC_0264Our second stop was to a small nearby creek. My sister and I explored the rocks, the bridge, and even took a dip in the water.DSC_0326DSC_0406DSC_0404Trying not to fall while swimming in the stream!

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xx, Ciera

First Day in Fish Camp

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To celebrate my dad’s 50th birthday my family and I went on a five day vacation to Yosemite together. My mom found a quaint little cabin rental called “The Treehouse” that was located in Fish Camp, right outside of Yosemite National Park. It was the perfect central location for us and all the activities we had planned.

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View of the main bedroom.
DSC_0008View of the living room (the pull out couch was surprisingly comfortable!)
DSC_0018 DSC_0013View from the balcony!

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We arrived in Yosemite later in the afternoon, but we still got a chance to hike up to see the Giant Sequoia trees. I could not believe how humongous they were! We stopped by the visitor center before and the lady there told us to be sure to feel the sequoias- apparently many of them have been burned by fires on the inside, so when you touch them they feel like a sponge!

DSC_0045 DSC_0064{ Toyko Darling tank (similar) | PacSun shorts | Target jacket | Black Toms | Charlotte Russe sunnies }

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Finally, we finished off the day with an amazing Mexican dinner down at Bass Lake (of course I had to get a piña colada). It was the perfect end to a fun day! Stay tuned for more adventures from my Yosemite trip later this week 🙂

xx, Ciera

{TTT} Spring Break with My New York BFF

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So I know I’m about an hour late, but today is the last of my Travel Throwback series! Last spring break Nicole, my best friend from New York, came to visit me. We actually met on my People to People Australia trip and instantly connected and kept in contact.  It was her first time in California and she had never been to Disneyland before, so naturally we bought two park hopper passes and spent the day there, riding all the roller coasters and eating Dole Whip floats from the Tiki Room. Over the week we visited the beach as much as possible- Huntington, Newport, Laguna, Long Beach, Venice, and the Santa Monica Pier. We got LOTS of cupcakes and tried our very first macarons. Of course, I had to take her shopping in LA, and in Hollywood on a tour of the stars and hiking up to the Hollywood sign.
 california adventuredisneylandspace mountaindole whip smoothieshuntingtonlagunavenice beachhennasDSCN0878macaronscupcakebubba sweets hollywood hike hollywood signairportGetting to see her again was an amazing experience and I hope to see her again soon, whether it be in California, New York, Australia, or another destination!

xx, Ciera

 

DVF Journey of a Dress

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I finally got around to getting to the Diane Von Furstenberg Journey of a Dress exhibit before it closes on May 1st. I’ve never been to LACMA before and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. If you’ve been on Instagram you’ve most likely seen lots of pictures on the different patterned walls, which if you hashtag #journeyofadress, in the gift shop you can get a copy of it printed out. The mannequins showcased DVF dresses throughout the years. In the final room, there was a photo gallery of Diane over the years. The exhibit was actually smaller than I had imagined, but it was such an interesting concept and overall I enjoyed the experience.
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Did you get a chance to see Journey of a Dress? If you did, let me know what you thought in the comments below!

xx, Ciera

Coachella Dreamin’ {Day 3}

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Coachella Dreamin' {Day 3}

Topshop top
topshop.com

Topshop mini skirt
nordstrom.com

Jeffrey Campbell black boots
$275 – jades24.com

Charlotte Olympia handbag
luisaviaroma.com

Impulse fedora hat
$20 – thehut.com

Nars cosmetic
nordstrom.com

Nyx lipstick
nastygal.com

Here is the last and final day of what I would wear to Coachella. Hopefully next year I will be able to go for real! What is your favourite festival style?
xx, Ciera

Coachella Dreamin’ {Day 1}

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Coachella Dreamin' {Day 1}

Topshop pants
topshop.com

Sandals
saturday.com

Henri Bendel bracelet
henribendel.com

Necklace
$37 – sportsgirl.com.au

Kate Spade gold jewelry
piperlime.gap.com

Aveda lip treatment
$19 – johnlewis.com

Benefit sun care
bloomingdales.com

Essie nail polish
$13 – debenhams.com
What I would wear to Coachella Day 1… Stay tuned for my outfit ideas for day 2 and 3! What are you wearing to Coachella?
xx, Ciera

Queen’s High Tea

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Normally I’m not a big tea person (unless I’m sick), but I recently I bought a Groupon for High Tea the Queen’s Bakery Cafe in Costa Mesa. I had never been before so I wasn’t sure really what to expect, but was very eager to try it out. I brought along my friend Ema for our first High Tea experience- which I have to say was absolutely AMAZING. Right as we walked in, we saw rows of yummy desserts and treats in glass casing and colorful booths filling up the walls of the bakery. We were then blessed with an unbelievable random act of kindness. The woman in front of us also had a Groupon she wasn’t using and decided to give it to us instead and took care of our bill.  She was absolutely the sweetest lady ever- she even took our picture for us!

To start off I ordered a passionfruit flavoured tea while Ema got Earl Grey. I usually never like tea, but this one wasn’t to bitter or sweet and was the perfect flavour.  The second course was blueberry scones with jam and butter. We got four finger sandwiches with cucumber, nutella, spinach and tuna (but I only tried the first three since I’m a vegetarian.) Finally, there was fruit and six mini desserts for us to share.

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{ Sans Souci dress  | Mix No. 6 heels (sold out) | Topshop necklace | vintage ring | Rome Street Market crossbody bag }

I had such a fantastic experience at Queen’s and can’t wait to go back again soon. I was so inspired by the woman’s act of kindness and it truly made my day. Also, tea parties are the perfect excuse to dress up in bright pastels and florals for spring! Questions, comments? Leave them below and have a wonderful day! 🙂

xoxo, Ciera